Zengi

Imad ad-Din (1085-1146), also known as Zengi, was the Atabeg of Mosul, who was the founder of the Zengid Empire, uniting the Sultanate of Mosul, Sultanate of Damascus, Sultanate of Aleppo, Edessa, and Hama, and was one of the most-powerful Muslim rulers until his death by assassination.

Biography
Imad ad-Din was from Mosul, becoming Atabeg and fighting to unite all of Syria under Zengid rule. In 1130, he captured Hama, but failed to take Homs. Zengi succeeded in taking over vast swathes of land from the Crusaders and Muslims alike, founding the Zengid Dynasty and crushing the Crusader stronghold of Damascus in 1144. In between the fourteen years, Zengi had taken over every Syrian city and united the land before he was assassinated by Yarankash, a Frankish prisoner.